


in the stars I only see you

by anorchidisnotaflower



Category: Fargo (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Gift Exchange, M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:53:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anorchidisnotaflower/pseuds/anorchidisnotaflower
Summary: It was a late job, the kind they both hated, and Wrench had to go it alone this time, and the one thing that kept him driving after the blood had dried on his hands was Grady.In which Wrench goes home and takes Numbers on a date.
Relationships: Mr. Numbers/Mr. Wrench (Fargo)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 12
Collections: "It's Wrenchers" Discord Secret Santa Exchange 2020





	in the stars I only see you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skwid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skwid/gifts).



It was a late job, the kind they both hated, and Wrench had to go it alone this time, and the one thing that kept him driving after the blood had dried on his hands was Grady. Not just him— the picture he’d make under the covers, his nose wrinkling as he’d yawn, the way his eyes would slip open and peer up at Wes with such fondness that Wes would want to marry him all over again.

Grady would sign something, half-hearted and sleepy, and Wes would climb in beside him, and all would be right.

That was what moved the car along, the headlights like signposts pointing Wrench’s way home. Even if home right now was a motel with a neon sign flickering like a drunk and a mattress that sank in the middle. Home was Grady, Grady’s eyes, Grady’s hands, Grady wrapped around him like they fit together.

Wrench flicked the turn signal and moved into the outside lane, hitting the gas a bit harder the closer he got. The job was almost forgotten, now— some sniveling, wet-tissue-kind of a target who made it almost too easy. Wrench had shot him in the chest and left him to soak in a nearby lake.

And now, alone in the car, Wrench was more than halfway there, the sign for the exit coming up, and the money from this job would keep them going a little while longer, a few more weeks of peace.

He flexed his hands on the steering wheel. He pushed down on the gas. He thought of Grady.

* * *

The room was almost dark when Wrench snuck in the door— the only light came from the dull red blink of the hairdryer in the bathroom. It was easy enough to move around in the dark, though. He hung his jacket on the back of a chair, toeing his boots off as he went.

He could just barely make out the outline of a head poking up from the nest of blankets and pillows on the bed. Wes smiled, despite himself, as he crept over, giving Grady’s side a little poke.

It all happened as he suspected: Grady, scrunching his nose and turning over to peer up at Wes.

_You just going to stand there?_ Grady asked, his hands moving slow, strange in the low light. _Or you going to get in here?_

Wes grinned. _Move over._

It was better than anything he could have imagined on the long car ride back. Grady shuffled over, peeling back the blankets just enough so Wes could sneak in beside him. They made a cocoon like this, and Grady wrapped his arms around Wes’s middle, sighing back into sleep.

Wes stayed awake a bit longer, reveling in the warmth. He stroked one hand through Grady’s hair, caught between wanting to remain in this moment forever and slipping his eyes shut.

Sleep won out, in the end. But Grady stayed, as ever, the one thing on his mind.

* * *

Grady woke to his favorite sight: Wes, still asleep. It was nice whenever they woke up together, or when Wes was up before him, but there was something about catching Wes like this. The vulnerability of it— knowing that Grady was the only person in the world who’d ever seen him this way. The only one who ever would, really, if Grady had any say in it.

And he wasn’t a sap, never had been, but tracing the edge of Wes’s nose, his lips, light as a feather, was an indulgence Grady allowed himself once in a blue moon. Wes was pretty, especially like this. The sun sneaking in over his forehead, slipping down to highlight every angle, lighting every wisp of his hair. Grady just soaked it all in, his fingers light on Wes’s face.

It wasn’t long before Wes woke up, his eyes fluttering open the way they always did, and Grady tried to pretend he hadn’t been staring at him.

_Morning, sunshine_ , Wes said.

_Stop_ , Grady said, his face flushed.

Wes grinned. _You don’t like sunshine? What about sweetheart?_

_You’re insufferable, honey._ Grady threw in the nickname with a teasing wink and was rewarded with the light dusting of a blush on Wes’s cheeks, his nose.

_I like that one_ , Wes said.

_I know you do._

Wes curled his arms back around Grady’s torso, burying his face in the crook of Grady’s neck like he belonged there. He did. Grady tugged him closer still, feeling the way Wes’s chest rose and fell against his own. The little itch of Wes’s curls against his skin. The light kiss Wes pressed to his neck.

They stayed like that for a long while. Longer than they should have, but Grady didn’t care, and Wes seemed tired after the job. He deserved a lie-in, and, well, whether Grady deserved one or not didn’t matter. He wanted one and he was taking it.

Eventually, though, Wes pulled back, his eyes a bit clearer. _I want to take you on a drive._

Grady frowned. _Now? Where?_

Wes shook his head. _Not now. Tonight._

_This a date?_ Grady asked with another wink.

Wes smiled, big and bold and bright. _Sort of. Let me take you out._

_I don’t know…_ Grady let his smile grow, not quite meeting Wes’s eyes.

_Come on, sunshine,_ Wes said. _Indulge me._

_I always do._

_One more time, then?_ Wes waggled his eyebrows, and Grady had to laugh.

_Fine, fine._ Grady sat up, brushing his hands through his hair. _Get dressed first. I’m not going anywhere until we’re both dressed._

_Get your fanciest suit,_ Wes said, scrambling up to join him. _For me._

_All my suits are fancy._

_I know._ Wes leaned in for a kiss, and Grady met him halfway, their lips slow, like a stroll. It was familiar and it wasn’t— everything about Wes was old and new. Maybe that was what Grady loved best about him.

Wes pulled back and grinned again. _I’m calling dibs on the shower._

_Hey—_ Grady started, but Wes was already gone, sneaking away behind the bathroom door.

Grady sank back into the pillows, grumbling, but he couldn’t help the warmth settled in his chest, like the sun had crawled inside to stay a while. Maybe that was what Grady loved best about Wes.

* * *

Grady held Wes’s hand on the drive that night, their fingers interlocked over the gear shift. The city lights sidled away under the growing starlight, gas stations and supermarkets traded for trees and brush. Grady had an inkling where they were headed, but Wes hadn’t given any hints yet.

Wes glanced over at him, and the little smile on his face still made Grady’s heart leap, even after all these years.

Grady let go of Wes’s hand to sign, _What? Do I have something on my face?_

_No._ Wes’s smile stayed the same— soft and indulgent. _You just look handsome tonight._

Grady snorted. _You always say that._

_And it’s always true._

Grady looked down, an echo of that flustered teen who couldn’t handle a compliment still in him.

Wes held out his hand. _Hold this for me, will you?_

_You’ve been watching too many of those shitty romance movies,_ Grady sighed, but he took Wes’s hand back anyway. He squeezed it, once, and Wes squeezed back, the warmth of it a shot that made Grady forget about the cold outside.

They pulled off the highway and onto a winding dirt road, navigating their way through spruce trees that looked almost black in this light. The car shook underneath them, a low rumble Grady could feel in his bones, and he ran his thumb across the back of Wes’s hand.

The road eventually ended in an outlook— the kind of curbside outcropping on any mountain, but this one was deserted of tourists this time of night. Wes grinned, pulling away from Grady to step out of the car.

Grady slowly climbed out, already signing, _I don’t understand why you brought us all the way—_

And then he looked up.

The neon lights of the city had nothing on this— these thousand sprinkled lights, thrown about the sky in careless and careful patterns all at once. Out here, Grady could even see the hushed fog of the Milky Way behind it all as he spun in place.

He glanced over at Wes, and Wes’s eyes were full of starlight.

_So? What do you think?_ Wes asked.

Grady tried to shrug. _It’s okay._

Wes shook his head, but he was smiling. _You don’t have to be so stubborn all the time. I know you like it._

_All right, all right,_ Grady said, walking over. _I like it. Love it._

_That’s more like it._

Wes grabbed a blanket from the backseat and threw it over the hood of the car. He laid down first, patting the space beside him, and Grady scrambled up. His knees protested as he did— one of those many little signs that they were both getting too old for this kind of adventure, as small as it was.

But Grady figured, looking over at Wes, his profile in the silver light, that growing old wasn’t so bad, really.

Wes looked over. _Now what do you think of this date?_

Grady laughed. _So it was a date after all._

He shuffled in closer, leaning his head on Wes’s shoulder, and Wes sighed, the sound softer than a summer breeze.

_It’s perfect,_ Grady said, and then his hand found Wes’s.

Without words, they breathed together in a kind of harmony, the stars singing their own silent tune far above them. The night slipped away the same way the morning had, but it was all right, in the end. There was only Wes, and only Grady, and their hands held tight.


End file.
